Living with herpes can be challenging and overwhelming, but it's important to remember that you're not alone. In a recent interview, we had the opportunity to speak with Dr. John Martin, an experienced OBGYN, who shared valuable insights about herpes, its impact on pregnancy, and how individuals can navigate this diagnosis. Join us as we delve into the conversation and gain a better understanding of herpes from a medical professional's perspective. Don't Blame, Educate: Dr. Martin emphasizes that dwelling on the past or trying to pinpoint the source of the herpes infection is unproductive. I ..read more

Finding out you have herpes can be a difficult and isolating experience. When Alexandra, the founder of The Secret Society was first diagnosed, she felt alone and without support. That's why she created The Secret Society, an online support group for people living with herpes. The Secret Society is a place where people from all over the world come together to find support, make friends, and talk about their herpes journey. It's a safe space where people can be open and honest without fear of judgment. And it's not just a support group - members formed lasting friendships. Alexandra emphasiz ..read more

Coach Sarah Joy helps women with thyroid conditions find their root causes. She got oral herpes, was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and Epstein–Barr. After years of dealing with symptoms like exhaustion, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, muscle weakness, panic attacks, and so much more (she herself counted around 25 symptoms), she managed to get her health back, reverse her diagnosis - after years of dealing with the symptom and trying to get answers from doctors. The real blow to her was the death of her beloved brother, whom she lost a few years back. That moment was the lowest point and she knew she ..read more

There are way bigger fish to fry in a relationship than having herpes. We always put the herpes issue as the worst possible thing that you could have and you'll never be accepted because you have herpes. Well I'm not saying its not a big conversation and I'm not saying that you'll always be accepted and won't get rejected but what I'm saying is that there are other big things too. Someone asked me to talk about this as a blog topic. Saying that having herpes is just one of the things your partner will have to accept. And the other way around - you will have to accept things with him/her and ..read more

This is one of my favourite topics but I realize I don't talk about the Secret Society Wellness products that often. So I'm doing you all a disservice!!!! Let me back up and tell you a bit about the products. They are designed and formulated to support herpes outbreaks. The formulation took over a year to make and a ton of research went into it. The Secret Society Wellness products started out with just one product and it was the Lifesaver SPF Lip Balm. The concept started when you guys were asking me for something that was natural, discrete and could help with herpes outbreaks. So the Lifes ..read more

When we are diagnosed with genital herpes or oral herpes our hearts sink. We feel totally alone and like nobody understand what we are going through. This was exactly how I felt when I was diagnosed with genital herpes back in 2011. Something that doesn't help us with this alone feeling is that when we are alone we can go down a rabbit hole and start creating worry which leads to depression or anxiety. I call this phase of just being diagnosed with herpes the Eeyore phase. When we are diagnosed we feel like Eeyore. There is always a rain-cloud over our heads and our days just fell alone and ..read more

Well yes and no. Yes, it's a numbers game and the more people you’re exposed to the greater chance you have at contracting it. However with over 80% of the population having herpes it makes it so common that even being monogamous you can wind up with herpes.  What we need to get away from is associating promiscuity with getting herpes and beginning to look at the fact that the majority of the population has it. I’ll get trolls on the internet tell me that I’m discussing it because I have herpes, and the funny thing that happens is that I know that the people telling me that shouldn’t ha ..read more

What does asymptomatic mean and how does this relate to living with herpes? Let me assume that you are either reading this because you just found out you have herpes but have never gotten an outbreak. Or you've had one outbreak and haven't had any more outbreaks in years. The unique thing about the herpes virus is it has the ability to go dormant in our system, thus making the person living with herpes asymptomatic. According to Oxford's dictionary the definition of asymptomatic is, "(of a condition or a person) producing or showing no symptoms." So what this means for someone living with h ..read more

Somebody once said something along these lines: Maybe that's easier when you're diagnosed at a younger age, but I'm over 40, it's so hard for me to accept this now. It's easier to be diagnosed with herpes in your 20's. It's easier to get diagnosed with herpes in your 50's. These are all things I hear on a weekly basis. We always think the grass is greener on the other side. I want to talk about this today because I've had a lot of people recently come to me and say that it would be way easier if I was younger because it's harder to accept it at this point in my life. The bottom line is it's ..read more

This is such a great question. I still get people who are shocked at the fact that both HSV 1 and 2 can go to either location. If that came as a surprise to you let me then explain. Traditionally we believed that HSV1 was only oral herpes and it could only be oral herpes and that was the good type of herpes. At the same time we believed that genital herpes was always HSV2 and it would only stay in the genital region and it was the bad kind. Firstly, there is no good or bad kind of herpes. And secondly, both types can go to both locations. So back to the original question and topic, can herpes ..read more